Electric Mini — Fun Driving – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 15th February 2025, 12:31 am

One of my most enjoyable memories of the ’70s was driving my Mini Cooper S around Brisbane, scaring my passengers, and dragging off cars at the lights with its low-to-the-ground, turbocharged power. It was a red brick to be reckoned with. I would have been more of a terror with an electric Mini. I often say to people that our Tesla (Tess) drives in a similar way! Maybe it’s just the Hoon behind the wheel.

So, when Sethu came to our coffee morning with his MINI, I had to quiz him about the driving experience. The MINI is no longer made by Morris of England, but BMW of Germany. It is no longer a small car. What sparked Sethu’s interest? “The main reasons I chose a second hand 2022 Mini Cooper SE (First registered in Aug 2022) are: it is a small car and fits my purpose. I can get my wife to drive as well. The car is built in Germany, so no hassle with parts. The car has very low kms (21k), has long battery warranty (6 years). It is fun to drive and zip around town/short day trips. I can probably drive more kms to reach 100,000. The Mini’s compact size makes it very easy to park in tight spaces (plus it has Partial Self-Parking Assist), which is a bonus in busy urban areas.”

Welcome to the Electric Mini experience, Sethu.

Sethu is an IT Professional (currently working in the cybersecurity space). He also does contract work with Geeks2U (Officeworks IT Services) occasionally. “Though I do not own a business, I am interested in hosting an EV charging business and providing EV learning in future.”

Sethu has tested the MG ZS EV, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, and BMW iX3 using Sixt Car Rental. “Best for anyone who would like to try an EV for a few days.” He then chose to purchase his Mini on a novated lease for tax benefits. Sethu’s wife said: “It looks good and once this purchase is made; you should stop looking for any more cars in the market.” Sethu did not test drive any cars at dealerships apart from Volvo EX30. “Small or big the concept is simple — charge the car, keep it running. I am totally comfortable with the service and maintenance aspects of any car. (Petrol, Diesel, EV, PHEV). An EV has less parts, hence no haggle in servicing. But you still have to take the MINI for regular service checks,” he told me.

“My wife has driven the car only 3 times so far and she is yet to understand the nuances of EV driving. Comparing Mini with other cars, she says it holds well and she does not push the car quickly (based on the Regen modes).” Though the storage is not that great, Sethu still finds a better way to manage the grocery shopping with the Mini. “We can always get the ASX out for bigger shopping visits (example IKEA/COSTCO).” Sethu feels that he has made the right move with the new regulations coming into effect in Australia this year — Australian Design Rule (ADR) 98/00 sets the standards for Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB); and the Emission Standards Regulations.

When he compared the technology, he found: “Tesla has the best Battery Management System, but the controls were not great (confined to one single Tablet style screen like Volvo EX30, Polestar, BYD). Every other manufacturer has different features, but the year 2025 has a lot of improvements compared to 2020 and 2022. I think if we have two models from a single manufacturer, then everyone will have a better idea of what to choose. For example, KIA has good cars, but too many variants.”

“A comparable vehicle to the Mini SE would be the GWM Ora GT. Prior to the Mini Cooper, I was looking at BMW i3 (now discontinued), Nissan LEAF (needs ChaDeMO for charging), Hyundai IONIQ (Discontinued), Polestar 2, and Kona Electric (Current and Previous Gen).”

Any issues with buying second hand I asked? “I am the second owner of the 2022 Mini Cooper SE. It was driven by a mature pilot and looked after very well. It was great of him to personally deliver the vehicle to me from Brisbane Southside. I have done extensive research into cars and what is available. Dealerships do their part to run the economy, but it is always the customer who is right when choosing what suits best for their lifestyle when it comes to the cars, as this is not a thing to flip the cars every 5 years as this still goes through a lifecycle process.”

Tell me about the good things. “The car is cute as a button, drives well, as you expect from a car engineered and designed in Germany. Small and mighty. Newer models in 2023 and 2024 are out of Chinese factories. I still have a long way to go in terms of 6 years battery warranty and also good battery health (state of charge is 96%), which I am comfortable to continue driving. Love the one-pedal driving and also the regen options (1 to 4 levels). I’ve got another 6 months to plan for the service plan changes, but using the novated lease plan, ALL the service, tyres, maintenance, charging costs are covered through a recurring monthly payment.”

On the downside: “Sometimes the cruise control sensor goes to sleep, and I get to use my feet to accelerate the car, which is still a lot of fun. I love/hate the car design, but no big concerns. Every car has different challenges, which I realized when I saw a 2015 BMW i3 REX model is currently on sale with only 85,000 km on the clock. The BMW is a first-gen EV, and hence a lot of planning and knowledge is required to purchase the BMW i3 car compared to the cars that are less than 5 years old. The BMW i3 was the first car that fascinated me when I wanted to purchase a small EV with a backup petrol generator to keep you on the go. I love the 4 door, 4 seat layout with small storage at the front and rear. The sustainable materials were a new thing for people. The Type 1 charging infrastructure has long gone and hence it was only meant to be an urban EV. But it is still A GOOD CAR.”

Sethu purchased his Mini in September 2024. It had 20,900 km on the odometer. “I have now driven 5000 km since then, mostly around the town, with a few long drives up to Byron Bay (164 km). When the car is fully charged to 100%, the guess-O-meter says the range is 185 km, the driving range depends on every single individual driving condition and service used (for example: Aircon). I do a bit of planning when taking the car on day trips.” Most of Sethu’s charging needs are met from charging at home.

Sethu has a 6.6kW solar system installed and running successfully since 2022. “I get some bill credits every quarter and am planning to add a home battery when the battery cost reduces and the solar feed-in-tariff drops further in the coming years (2027). I use a regular granny charger plugged into 10A socket and in a span of 14 hours (7 hours over 2 days), I can fully charge the Mini battery (28 kWh useable). Mini efficiency is around 13kW/100. I do have a separate 32A isolator installed, but I did not feel like installing a wallbox at this stage. On the other hand, I have mapped public DC charging (free and suitable to my Mini ~ 50 kW speed). JOLT Charging is one of my picks (3 choices of charging plans). I am currently using the free JOLT membership and get 7 kWh of energy 2 or 3 times a week. The Mini takes up 50 kW charging speeds, and hence public DC charging speeds up to 50 kW works well for me, leaving space for other cars to use the charging stations 75 kW and over.”

Electric Minis are not common on Australian roads, so Sethu has had mixed reactions, good but also anxious. “People are excited about the range and drivability. I get asked lots of questions about battery life after 8 years, charging, range anxiety, etc. Since there are not many Mini on the long trip charging sites, people are curious.” Before making the switch to electric, he tells me he did expensive research on charging and the services available to electric vehicles.

I particularly like his approach of hiring an EV to test it out. Doing the standard 30-minute test drive really does not give you the necessary information about the differences between driving a fossil fuel vehicle and an electric one. Sethu has always bought used cars. “My previous cars include the Mazda 323, Nissan Pulsar, Mitsubishi Lancer, and ASX (still own this car), all petrol cars, as I haven’t been much into diesel vehicles. This transition to an EV has been an exciting adventure, and I’m eager to learn more about the latest advancements in EV technology.”

I agree with you, Sethu, with the electric Mini — the future is bright and electric and fun!